Priya Mittal, USA, 19

Project: GroGreen Tech

Basic Human Needs: Environment

While walking through the Union Square Farmers Market in New York City, Priya observed that consumers were carefully inspecting produce items and refusing to purchase food with any visible flaws. After much research, she learned that in the United States, over 6 billion pounds of food is thrown away each year because it is considered “ugly produce.” Priya spent six months educating herself on iOS development and entrepreneurship in order to design a solution. She created GroGreen Tech, a company and iOS app with the mission to “turn wasted food into wanted food.” The GroGreen Tech app enables farms to sell their unwanted produce – which would otherwise go to waste – to restaurants at cheaper prices. Priya’s app was featured by MarketWatch, WCBS880 radio, and the 2017 Consumer Electronic Show. Her company has been presented and awarded at several competitions including the Technovation and #BUILTBYGIRLS challenges in 2016. In 2017, Priya was named one of Crain NY Business’s “20 Under 20” list and Mobile Apps Showdown “10 Under 20.” She has spoken on international stages including the 2018 Seeds & Chips Global Food Innovation Summit in Milan, Italy where she opened for former U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry. Priya hopes to expand GroGreen Tech to a larger consumer base while continuing to develop her educational platform, which aims to teach middle school students about food waste and to recognize how their choices impact the environment.